Impressions of Macbeth After Act II in William Shakespeare's Play

Impressions of Macbeth After Act II in William Shakespeare's Play

At the start of Act II Macbeth is seen as a Tragic Hero who must have

some potential nobility, some good qualities that make what is

happening to him terrible. He is shown to the audience as a human

being with human weaknesses. The one who, as Lady Macbeth describes as

in Act I, Scene v, "is too full of the milk of human kindness.' We see

him as a victim of his ambition, of moral weaknesses, or even of a

combination of circumstances that cause him to fall.

Macbeth is a well respected man, brave on the battle field, 'brave

Macbeth' and loyal to his king and country, 'valiant cousin! Loyal

brother.' He is praised highly by the messenger and also by Duncan

himself. The only thing that seems to let Macbeth down is his tendency

to temptation. He is interested in the witches predictions as

demonstrated by Banquo's observation, 'he is transfixed' but his

interests and temptation does not make us feel any anger or annoyance

towards Macbeth, for to be tempted is not a crime, it is how he acts

on the temptation that asserts our views on his character.

At the beginning of Act II we see a torn Macbeth. He is constantly

struggling with his conscience and the contemplation of Duncan

dominates his every thought. a whole soliloquy is dedicated to

Macbeth's conscience;

'Is this a dagger which I see before me....?' Macbeth is obsessed with

the thoughts of the murder he goes to reach for the dagger but it is a

hallucination. Of course he can't touch it but he realises that it is

the dagger he is to murder Duncan with. It is beckoning him to

Duncan's door, covered in 'gouts of blood.' At this point in the play

we as an audience feel the emotional turmoil Macbeth is going through,

we pity him and the predicament he is in, he doesn't know whether or

not to go through with it. Macbeth turns the thought over and over and